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The War of Four: Where Loose Ends Meet
Act 1 Prologue In the human world, it was sunset. The sky was filled with an orange hue, and its source was just beginning to duck down behind the horizon. On the streets of a city, people were just beginning to file from the outside and into their homes in order to enjoy their peace from the demands of work. There was little sound outside of footsteps on the sidewalk and the roar of the occasional engine, which was in the process of dying down to silence. It was a rather peaceful atmosphere - one that had contrasted heavily with what Arael had left behind in the wake of his conversation with Braeburn. The man in question was walking down the street with his hands in his pockets, humming a quiet tune to himself. Although as cool as a cucumber, his gait had a bit of a spirit in it as he walked towards a location only he knew of. Like some of the people around him, he was appreciating the peace and quiet of the atmosphere. It was a time where he was rarely allowed in the hustle and bustle of his own profession, a time where chaos wasn't the norm and everyone's hearts weren't racing at a hundred and twenty miles per hour. If they did know of his profession, they would understand the reason as to why he valued a setting like this so much. For him, it was but a fleeting moment he could only appreciate for a certain amount of time. And little did he knew, that time was about to end sooner than he anticipated it to. The sound a gunshot was all that was needed to break this quiet atmosphere. As Arael walked past a parked SUV on the sidewalk next to him, both of the front-side windows were shattered, and Arael would find a bullet lodged within his respective shoulder. For one such as him, it wouldn't be a terrible or even that bad of a wound, as the calibur of gun used was not of anything greater than a standard assault rifle, but it was still a sign that somebody here knew who Arael was, and was clearly after his blood. If there were any civilians around, they had all cleared away from the area as soon as the sound of the gunshot had done and gone. They all knew that something bad was bound to happen, and anyone in their right mind didn't want to be around when it did. Time stopped. Arael's eyes started to widen when he heard the gunshot, but they wouldn't get the chance to come to full when the bullet connected into his shoulder. He instantly felt pain shoot through the area, his form staggering with the force of the hit. His hand reflexively grasped the spot where he had been shot, feeling a warm liquid stain his palm. But his eyes focused on the vehicle from where the shot had been produced. He could see the barrel of the rifle trained on him, lining up for another shot. Although his senses had been heightened to the maximum, he retained enough mind to know that a second shot wouldn't miss a vital area. He had to high-tail it out of there. Time resumed again. With a pained gasp, he vanished from his spot with a Hirenyaku. Sweat beaded down his face, decorating a panicked expression as he checked his wound for damage. Fortunately for him, it wasn't as hindering as it looked. But that fortune wouldn't last over time. Unless he got to his location quickly or at least out of the spotlight, he would bleed to death. He clenched his teeth, choosing to conserve his energy and run across the rooftops instead of using continuous Hirenyaku movements. He left a loose trail of blood, droplets scattered widely as he ran and jumped from top to top. "Of all the days he had to attack me," He spat, his voice exuding a mixture of frustration and fear as he moved. "Today had to be the day, didn't it?!" Whether he noticed it or not, his assailant was moving just as fast, if not faster, than he was on the rooftops that were alongside the ones he leapt from. The man's speed would make it difficult to make out his appearance, but regardless of details, the being was tall, muscular, and for certain, one could easily see that his right arm was metallic silver. Whereas Arael would be somewhat hindered by his wounded arm, as well as his wise choice to avoid using high-speed movement, the assailant was moving at full speed, and had already reached nearly three buildings ahead of Arael. With an audible leap, the being hurled himself onto the rooftop that Arael was close to reaching, his impact even louder than the leaping sound he made just seconds prior. He stood himself up slowly, revealing his neck-length silver hair and militarized uniform, and his face was obscured by a pair of black goggles and a metallic face-mask that covered everything below the bridge of his nose. Arael's reflection could be seen in the man's visor, as if the former were the only thing that the masked being could see. It was here that Arael slid to a stop, almost stumbling to his knees when the figure intercepted him. With a shaky posture, he brought himself up to a standing position. His hand continued to nurse his injury, which started to sting from the contact his palm was giving it. He stared with anxiety at the masked soldier in front of him, his body giving the occasional shake as he breathed in and out. He had seen this more than one time, and it was something that he had stopped wishing to see. It was the face of someone who had apparently made it the top priority of his life to see Arael dead. Only they would know the reasons why; for the sake of wanting information to be classified, it would never be uttered in public. Arael only knew the man by one name. The Winter Knight. "Why...?" He breathed, his pained question carrying a dose of pleading as he regarded the figure in front of him. "Why do you insist on wanting my life so badly? We are brothers born from the same father, children of the same womb! There are many more deserving of death than I am, like our mutual enemies known as the Shinigami and Hollow! There are so many dangers in their ranks that are much more potent than an unarmed man like myself!" He raised a shaking free hand up in an attempt of a placating motion. "Please, just stop this ridiculous manhunt and let me be!" The Winter Knight only held his stare for a few seconds longer, before reaching his metal arm over his right shoulder and grasping a hold of a rifle that was sheathed over his back. He pulled it out fully, revealing it to be a sleak black XM8 model, one that aimed it's barrel directly at Arael's forehead. A noticeable feature of the Winter Knight's goggles would now be visible: a light blue crosshair appeared over the eye that was lined up with the sights of the rifle. Just before he could pull the trigger, a black figure materialized to the Winter Knight's left in the air. He was garbed in a black trenchcoat and held a large black claymore with a red gem in it's center. His right foot kicked into the assault rifle and knocked it clean out of the Winter Knight's hands, before he himself hit the ground and rolled back towards Arael. Just as he did this, the Winter Knight recoiled, bringing his metal fist over to slam into the black-haired man. Responding quickly, the latter raised up the flat side of his sword to block the blow, and when the two made a loud metal contact, he felt his arms shake and his teeth grind due to such force. Using this opprotunity, the Winter Knight used the same arm to slap the other man's sword arm away, before bringing his left foot up to kick Arael's defender straight in the gut, causing him to audibly grunt and be sent back towards the said Quincy. He rolled backwards after his back made contact with the ground, holding his sword at the ready. "Sorry I'm late." he said with slight pants in between his sentences. "This is one fast motherfucker." "Rushifā..." And his savior had come to the rescue. Arael breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes fell on the back of the newcomer, his tense posture relaxing. "You hardly understand how close you cut it." He said softly, before directing his gaze back to his assailant. "Can you handle this man?" Rushifa had to take a few seconds before he responded, out of brief fatique due to his previous two blows, or merely hesitation to answer the question honestly. Usually he was pretty adamant about who he could and couldn't beat, and very rarely did he encounter someone of the latter calibur... but that changed on this night. "....I think I can hold him off." he finally said with a sigh, clenching hold of his claymore tightly. "But I'm not going to promise anymore than that; this guy is no pushover. The best thing you can do right now is run as far in the other direction as you possibly can. If what you've told me about your previous encounters with him are true, this guy doesn't usually come alone." Arael gave a ready nod. As far as this scenario went, the Winter Knight was no honorable man. He would set up traps, bring in a number of others and other things that fell short of "respectable" if it meant the other Quincy's death. If reinforcements weren't already in his location, they were most likely on their way. Getting trapped would only complicate things further. But even as he took his bodyguard's words to heart and began his retreat to an alternate route, he took a moment to call over his shoulder words of encouragement. "Fight hard, wolf! But live smarter!" "The smart thing to do now would be to run..." Rushifa wasn't a coward by any stretch of the imagination; if he had to fight someone, he'd fight with all of his heart and soul, so going up one-on-one with this knowingly dangerous foe wasn't the issue as much as the fact that he knew the Winter Knight had reinforcements somewhere in the vicinity. Despite this, he knew that Arael could handle himself, even if he was hindered by the wound in his shoulder. His thoughts were hindered by what the Winter Knight did next, and it only proved what lengths the latter was willing to go to complete his objective. He quickly grabbed what appeared to be a silver sphere like object and threw it towards the now retreating Arael. Too fast was the object for Rushifa to intercept it, and whether Arael noticed it or not, the ball split in middair to take the shape of a metallic disc with a blue light in it's center, before latching onto the Quincy's back. As the blue light on the disk began to blink, Rushifa knew just exactly what it was: a tracking device. "Arael, wai-!" Rushifa started to yell for Arael when a metallic fist from the Winter Knight connected with his left cheek, actually knocking a couple of teeth out of his mouth and sending his face crashing into the ground. The ruthless soldier then grabbed hold of Rushifa's neck while the latter was still on the cold surface of the rooftop and quickly picked him up, before whirling around and slamming his head back into a wall. Such blows were enough to make Rushifa dazed and blood was now pouring out of his mouth due to the teeth, but he was able to retaliate quickly, slamming his elbow into the Winter Knight's ribcage and forcing him to stumble back a couple of feet, before twirling around to slam his black sword into the white-haired man's neck. But here, the Winter Knight caught hold of the blade with his left hand and used it to pull Rushifa towards him, and then used his metal arm to deliver a powerful blow to Rushifa's chest, blowing the wind out of him and sending him onto his back, while also forcing him to lose grip of his sword. Now with Rushifa's black claymore in his possession, the Winter Knight resumed his ruthless pursuit of Arael. Using bursts of Hirenkyaku, he quickly managed to catch up with the wounded Quincy and threw the sword towards him. The blade itself wouldn't hit Arael, but it's tip would stab into the ground just before the retreating Quincy, with it's pommel pointed right at him as a means to halt his retreat. By the time Arael would notice this, the Winter knight would have leapt into the air to descend upon and tackle Arael, pinning him to the ground while gripping his neck with his left hand, and holding up his metallic right hand into a fist, ready to pound him into the ground... "What the...?" The white-haired Quincy jolted in surprise when he felt something latch onto his back. Reflexively, he looked over his shoulder but found himself unable to lay eyes on what hit him. However, he did manage to catch the blue blink within his peripheral. At first, he assumed it to be some sort of bomb, and his eyes shrank in instinctive horror. But when he quickly realized that such a thing would be impractical against the likes of him, he jumped to the second thing that it could've been - a tracking device. So even if Arael successfully eluded the Winter Knight, all the man had to do was track him. In this condition, the Quincy would end up leading the masked man all the way back to his hideout. It was the last thing that he wanted to happen. But when he fully looked over his shoulder, his was further taken off-guard. It hadn't even been a minute. Yet the Winter Knight had put Rushifa down without the slightest bit of hesitation. He had turned his gaze just in time to see the bodyguard crash into the ground, his sword slipping away from his hands. The Quincy swore under his breath, jerking his gaze ahead in an attempt to keep moving forward. He tried to allow himself to use the tragically short distraction to his advantage, moving as quickly as he could in order to gain distance between himself and his enemy. But he couldn't escape the Knight's inhuman accuracy; he was forced to stop once more, skidding to a halt in order to avoid running into the pommel. Knowing what was to come, he had twisted himself around just in time to see the Winter Knight's form leaping upon him. His expression contorted to one of horror, and he raised an arm in a vain attempt to shield himself. "No--!" He let out a yelp as the weight of his enemy slammed into him, sending him back first onto the hard rooftop. He let out a helpless wheeze, clenching his teeth when he felt a strong hand clasp around his throat. His hands grasped at the wrist, attempting to pull it away. But they stopped when he saw that metallic fist raise up, aimed towards his face. He saw that fist swing, its frame threatening to smash his skull in once it made contact. He shut his eyes and turned his head away, not wanting to see his own bloody demise as it came towards him. Thankfully, that demise would not come on this day. Rushifa had recovered just in time to tackle the Winter Knight and, using what strength he could muster, threw the Quincy mercenary off of the rooftop. He and Arael wouldn't get enough time to rest or collect themselves, as the Winter Knight had managed to drop another metal sphere on the rooftop just before Rushifa threw him off. Unlike the last one, this sphere merely emitted rapid beating sounds, making it easy for the two of them to realize what it's function was. "Fuck!!" Rushifa grunted as he quickly grabbed Arael's shoulders and leapt off of the building's edge with his client in tow. He did so with great timing too, as the sphere emitted a fairly large, grenade-level explosion, sending azure flames out and destroying the upper part of the building, forcing debris to rain down upon the two of them. Rushifa twisted himself around to where his back would absorb their landing and keep Arael from further harm, with both of them landing in the back of a small pickup truck. Groaning slightly from exhaustion and stress, Rushifa released his hold of Arael and quickly leaped off of the truck to get in it's driver side door. "Get in while we have a chance. The more conventional we move, the harder it'll be for that guy and his mercs to track us down." he said to Arael, exhaling before hopping into the truck and hot-wiring it to start without it's key. "A vehicle?! Y-you can't be serious!" Under normal circumstances, Arael would've been right to protest. They were both beings that possessed access to high-speed movement - something that could outstrip the speed of some vehicle. In addition, the deployment of those devices signaled just what exactly the Winter Knight could do against the likes of material property. All he needed to do once he caught up was to throw an explosive disc onto the truck and they would most likely be history. "Most likely" was emphasized; Arael wasn't sure if those bombs could do significant damage to the likes of spiritual beings such as them. But he wasn't willing to take that chance. However, as he staggered back up to his feet and realized that the Winter Knight might already be on their tail again, the lack of choice became clear. With a displeased grunt, he quickly threw himself into the passenger's side. After shutting the door behind him, he tore at the buttons on his shirt in an attempt to get it off. "I have to get rid of this damned contraption on my back!" He growled. "Step on it, and I'll toss it out the window to draw his attention away from us!" Rushifa stomped the gas pedal as hard as he could, forcing the engine to roar and the truck to jolt forward before going full speed ahead. After Arael had tossed the jacket out, Rushifa took a quick turn to the right, doing his best to get as far away from their previous location. He took a quick glance into the rear-view mirror, and at first he could see nothing, but then he noticed that on the same street they were prevoiusly, a fairly large black humvee was speeding straight down the road, but not following them; they had taken the bait. "Alright, we're good for a few minutes at least." he exhaled with relief. "We keep going like this, they'll only notice us if they see this truck." He then looked over at Arael with a mixed expression of concern and confustion. "Are you alright? Why the hell is this guy after you? I thought you Quincy were all about brotherhood and unity?" "Apparently, he is an exception." The Quincy closed his eyes and gave a tired sigh as he slumped against the chair. It wasn't exactly the coziness of his bed, but at this point he would take anything. "I can't say for certain as to why he hunts me so desperately. It had started only some time after Ywhach's fall, when the Quincy's numbers were scattered and aimless without their leader to guide them. I was making it an effort to reunite them all, collect the survivors and bring them together under a new banner. I was hoping that after what we've all been through, a change of pace would've been accepted. With the King out of the picture, I was hoping that this would be the first step for actual peace between my kind and the Shinigami." He allowed his hands to rest on his lap, his fingers curling into fists. He looked down, frustration evident on his face. "I bet that is why he seeks my life. I cannot be sure of his identity. But I can say that he may be a remnant zealot still under Ywhach's teachings. If I am out of the picture, the rally for unification would be stopped. He just might be attempting to take the spotlight for himself, sway our kin to continue waging a pointless war against the guardians of existence. The fool and his underlings know not what they do!" These last few words were spoken with a venom that, had it been physically possible, it would've disintegrated the Winter Knight from the folds of existence. Rushifa kept his eyes on Arael with a mixed glare of confusion and skepticism. Arael had the resources and the power to accomplish his goal, of course, but the Winter Knight, from reports and previous experiences, has shown no such ambitions. His hits and sightings had all been isolated and individual, mundane even, what would really have caused such a rogue element to track something as big as Arael? He wouldn't get the chance to ponder it any longer. They were driving over a part of the town where there was a park just below the road to their right. Just when they thought that they could slow their drive down, a monstrous engine sound could be heard to Rushifa's left side, and when he glanced over to see what it was, it was too late. Two massive headlights were all he could see before the massive vehicle slammed into his side of the truck and all but threw it over the edge of the road and tumbling down into the park below. The vehicle that did this was the same black humvee that Rushifa had seen in his rear-view mirror just minutes earlier, and out of the passenger's side door emerged the Winter Knight, unscathed from the previous encounter. Slowly, he began a slow and menacing descent down to the all but ruined truck, a pistol in hand ready to execute his two targets. It was a reflexive use of Blut Vene that had kept Arael from suffering anything more than disorientation. His passenger door was kicked open, and he staggered out with a brief groan. His posture was off-balance, and it was for a few seconds that he stumbled around like a drunk. This brief moment of physical intoxication would be stopped when he leaned against the side of the truck, his eyes closed and his mouth open as he struggled to control his breathing. Once again, his hand clutched at the wound on his shoulder, and he let out a hiss at the sting the air gave it. He looked over into the truck, his blue eyes squinting to see how well his driver had fared in the face of the crash. But much to his unfortunate luck, his bodyguard was slumped against the steering wheel in a position that made him look like he was dead. Fortunately, he could still detect a spiritual pulse. It was good news that he was unconscious. It was bad news that he had to be unconscious when the Winter Knight was coming to approach. "We should drive a truck, he said..." The Quincy mocked Rushifa tersely, glaring at the Winter Knight as he staggered back from the truck. "The harder it'll be for him to track us, he said..." The hand on his wound clenched its fingers slightly. "Wolf, you are proving to be much more trouble then you are worth." Then, he slung his blood-stained hand towards his bodyguard. It would seem like a pointless gesture, slinging blood at an unconscious individual. But if one looked closely, one would see the red blood turn black before it hit the man's face. Arael himself settled into a stance as he stared at the approaching enemy, almost as if he was sick of running and decided to confront the man head-on. But as his bloodied palm was extended, the fluid began to turn black. Then, it changed its composition from a liquid to a smoke-like form, which quickly expanded into a massive dome that enveloped Arael's form. At the same time, another sphere was forming around the body of Rushifa. It was a technique that would be recognized as one used in the recent war. Shadows. "You got lucky this time, Winter Knight..." Arael's voice, distorted and sneering, left a few choice words for his foe. "But the next time we meet, you'll wish you never chose me as your prey!!" With that scathing farewell, the spheres shrank into nothingness, and the forms that were Arael and Rushifa had completely disappeared along with their spiritual signatures. The Knight didn't see either of the individuals under the smoking ruin of the vehicle, but he took a slight pause when he heard Arael's distorted voice ringing out. It didn't seem to bother him too much though, as he continued his quick pace towards the truck. Using his metal arm, he ripped the door off of the upside down truck to look for where his two targets were. Although both of them were gone, he did find a particular clue, or at least, something that can help him in his search: A single drop of Arael's blood. Act I A Moment of Respite; Time To Reinforce It was several minutes later. Arael's Shadow technique allowed both him and Rushifa to be transported to the Quincy's hideout - a building in plain sight. It was a mansion, which was handled personally because of healthy funds from Arael's earnings. There were a few others that stayed there with him, fellow Quincies that would come to be recognized as his followers. Their identities varied, as they moved from one place to another in order to avoid detection from potential enemies. But whenever they stayed, they were more than willing to lend Arael a hand in maintaining the mansion or accompanying him on an available mission whenever he needed protection. He was the only constant variable of the home. He would see one of these Quincies as he was dressing his shoulder wound and putting on a new plaid shirt. He approached his own personal room and opened the door. Beside Rushifa, who was lying in his bed, there was a white-haired girl at his beside. She wore what appeared to be a white bodysuit that eerily matched her hair color and pale color, giving her the appearance of a ghost. As he approached, she turned her head in curiosity to see who it was. But she immediately perked up when she laid eyes on Arael's approaching form. "Arael-kun!" She said cheerily, throwing her arms up in the air. "I did like you said! I looked over him and took care of his boo-boos!" Arael gave a pleased and amused smile, reaching over to ruffle the girl's hair. "Thank you very much, Lilin. What kind of injuries were they?" In response, the young girl named Lilin opened her mouth and pointed at what was inside. What would be inside was a rather unnerving sight. What would've been perfectly good teeth had a few of them broken and missing. There was even some blood still leaking from wounds, though not enough to warrant any concern. She ran her tongue over the wounds a few times before closing her mouth, giving off an innocent smile. "Just a few broken teeth. Other than that, I didn't find anything." She answered, balling up her fists in front of her. "So can I go play on the piano now? Can I, can I, can I?" "A deal's a deal." Arael answered, giving a casual shrug. "Just try not to make too much noise." "Yay!" Lilin cheered, quickly running past the man and out the door. After shaking his head at her in humor, Arael moved to sit in a chair beside Rushifa and looked over him. After a moment or so of watching him, he reached over and gently patted the man's cheek in order to make him stir. "Wolf? Are you still with me? I don't think a few broken teeth would be enough to kill someone, lest you attempted to swallow them and choked!" Rushifa groaned as he sat himself up, rubbing the back of his head and holding his stomach with his other hand. It was true, he wasn't terribly affected by the battle outside of his missing teeth, but thankfully he could still function to a good degree. "Gah... son of a bitch has one hell of a right hook." he said, rubbing his left jawline. "How many teeth am I missing..." he muttered to himself as he fit his finger into his mouth to feel around. "Three of these feel brand new... so it must not have been too bad." he sighed before looking over at Arael. "What about you? You doing alright?" "My wounds have been dressed and dealt with." Arael answered, folding his arms across his chest and crossing his legs. "And aside from the experience of having my life threatened once again, I'm in good condition." As he finished speaking, he could hear a rather upbeat and quick tune being played courtesy of a piano a few rooms away. Rushifa scoffed in a light-hearted manner in response to the music, reminding him of a particular individual waiting for him back at his home. "Looks like you keep things real peppy around here." he commented, glancing around the room, emphasizing his point. "Sure don't spare any expense." The Quincy allowed himself to rise from his chair, his blue eyes regarding the room with a semblance of pride. He spread his arms out, taking a few steps back and turning himself around in a slow 360-degree circle. "The earnings of a particularly hard worker." He said brightly, giving a pleasant smile as he dropped his arms back down and turned to face Rushifa. "Where I come from, you had to earn your keep if you wanted to make a living. I suppose that in a situation like this, though, it's a bit more lax. But if this would be the result, then I couldn't care less." He folded his hands behind his back, his smile fading. "Might I get you anything?" Rushifa briefly shook his head, scratching his hair slightly before responding. "Normally I'd ask for the Knight's head on one of these silver platters you've got laying around... but that's my job so nah, I'm fine for now." He looked back over to Arael with a cocked eyebrow. "Speaking of which, what should our next move be? My guys can keep him and his forces staved off, but they move too fast for us to track them." "Really? Because he seemed to do a fine job putting you down." Although strongly tempted to voice this observation out to the bodyguard, Arael made the wise choice of keeping himself polite. He folded his arms across his chest, putting on a thoughtful expression as he paced around. "I cannot say what your actions are." He answered, switching his gaze from the various objects in the room as if they would help him think. "But for the time being, the Winter Knight's attention is focused entirely on me. My contacts will continue their routes as planned, while I feed directions from wherever I am able. Considering the Knight's progress in tracking me thus far, I fear that I may have to move from this location soon enough." He turned his head towards Rushifa, raising both eyebrows. "In the meantime, you might wish to enlist some help of your own. No offense, but the foe seemed quite comfortable in knocking you around in this particular encounter." The Shinigami scoffed in response, smirking. "Yeah, he's not just some merc people hire on the streets for a quick hit. This guy is a professional, elite training, and as advanced as things have gotten today, I've never seen a prostetic arm work as well as the one he's got. He may have a Reishi core implanted in there that increases it's hitting power, dunno." He then looked back out towards the window. "So what kind of help are you suggesting I get outside of my organization?" "You claimed to be familiar with one particular individual of the Onmitsukidō, correct?" Arael asked, walking over to his drawer and grasping what looked like a pendant for a necklace. He brought it up to view, allowing Rushifa to see a red, fruit-like amulet with an engraving of the Quincy Cross on it. "Her name was Brina McTavish, former defect and one of the Dragons who served under the Inner Circle. Although currently holding the 3rd Seat, her skill level is comparable to the likes of the current Captain Sazuke Tensai. Holds a rather loose loyalty compared to the rest of her unit, courtesy of history and background." He turned the pendant in his hands in study. "And lastly, the wife of Rushifa Sureiya, the Grey's current leader." Rushifa blinked. Of all the people that Arael had to request his help for, it had to be his wife. He didn't object to the notion because he wanted to keep her out of harm's way, but rather it was almost the opposite; he and Brina had been at each other's throat for the past few weeks. Not physically, but they had gotten into more arguments than he would have liked, primarily due to Brina's recent alignment back to the Gotei 13, a faction that he himself despised and wanted nothing to do with. Questions would race through his mind over whether or not Brina would keep her own loyalty to him, or whether the Gotei would use her to kill him... as she had once done to her mother. "...great choice." he said in a low, sarcastic tone. "No, really, great choice. This is going to work out perfectly." His bitter tone of words naturally caused the Quincy's serene expression to twist into a look of genuine confusion. He set the pendant down and turned to face Rushifa again, slipping his hands in his pockets. As he walked closer over to him, there were flickers of inquiry within his ocean blue eyes. His frown could've been interpreted as one of concern, as well. "Is there something wrong?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side. "I was under the impression that you and her made a great team, on an off the battlefield." The black haired man sighed in response, standing up to his own feet and not looking over in Arael's direction. "No, no it's fine... I'll get in touch with her here in a minute." he said, shifting his hands into his pockets and beginning to slowly walk out of the door. "For now me and the gang will be hanging around town, keeping our ears to the ground. Lemme know if something comes up..." And with that, he was out of the room, and soon out of the mansion itself. It was here that the song Lilin was playing would transition to a more mellow and almost melancholic tune. Arael stared at the doorway where Rushifa had left from for what seemed like a long moment. His expression of confusion slowly changed to one of serenity, and he folded his arms across his chest once more. "Maybe that is another reason as to why he wasn't able to handle the Winter Knight properly." He thought. "He is burdened emotionally by the bonds of his family, having to keep them in check. This might be a problem... but it's nothing I can work over if that is the case. I have come this far by myself..." His thoughts were cut off when he heard a wrong key pressed, a loud popping noise and a shrill "Eep!" from Lilin. His eyes widened in surprise. "Uh..." Lilin's sheepish voice called out. "Arael-kun... I think I broke one of the keys! Again..." A heavy but humored sigh escaped Arael, and he dropped his arms to his sides. "I'm coming, Lilin..." The Frazzled Bond; Loyalty and Devotion It was night time. When it was time to leave, Brina had separated from the family reunion feeling fresh and chipper. It was as if a burden had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had spoken to her mother for the first time in ages and had ended the long-lasting grudge aimed at her by her uncle. Even though she was now the subordinate of her former arch nemesis, she had still made a friend within the Onmitsukidō out of the many faces that still continued to scorn her for her actions. So when she headed to the home she and her husband had shared just outside of the skirts of Soul Society, she brought little more than good cheer about her. It was a cheer that she was currently spreading to the likes of their four-year-old son Grigori. "I will hold the hand you offer to me; from the summit down to this well, into the dark waters where the small flowers creep for the sun..." She was seated cross-legged on the floor with the child sitting in her lap and a book held out in front of them both. Her chin rested on top of the child's head and her arms were flanking him as she held the book, reading out the paragraphs for him. "Headlights are reflected in your retinas, moonlit in the shadow of the crematorium chimney." She read, keeping a relaxed smile on her face. "Those words echoed within his mind even as he continued to walk through the caverns, until he found himself to stumble across a lake. By this point in time, he had little hesitation; performing risky stunts had already proven to be something of a past-time for him. He took a deep breath, and dived into--" However, she was interrupted by a vibration within the left pocket of her pants. SHe looked down in surprise for a moment before realizing what it was, gently ushering Grigori off of her lap in order to stand up. She pulled out her phone and took a look at a caller ID, wincing when she saw who it was. She paused for a moment, closing her eyes and exhaling a suffering sigh. Mentally, she was preparing herself for another tense moment in the knowledge that whatever peace that could've happened would be swiftly pushed aside. She had a feeling that her jovial mood wouldn't last long in the face of this phone call. After readying herself, she pressed the talk button and held the phone up to her ear. "Hi, Rushie!" She exclaimed, doing her best to sound chipper. "How's it hangin'?" Rushifa's response started with a slightly extended sigh, as if he were either tired or he were dreading having this conversation as well, but regardless he attempted to sound somewhat pleased to speak to her. "Hey babe... it's not really hanging that well where I'm at..." ''he began, his voice sounding somewhat groggy. ''"How's the little man doing? He need anything from me while I'm out of the house?" "Grigori's fine." Brina answered, taking a glance over at the child. "Just got done with dinner and you caught me in the middle of reading a story to him. Hang on a minute, though." Taking her head away briefly from the phone, she directed her voice to the kid. "Hey, Griggy! Dad's on the phone, you have anything to tell him?" She asked sweetly. He seemed to hesitate at first, but Grigori slowly pattered over to the phone and took it from his mother quietly. "Daddy?" he asked in a quiet and almost shy voice. "When are you coming home? Me and mama really miss you..." These words alone almost made Rushifa's voice crack. It was certainly true that he hadn't seen his own son in quite a while, several weeks in fact. While he always used the excuse of work and meetings as a way to sort of ease the boy's mind, the truth was that he simply had trouble being around Brina these days. "Ah..." ''he started, not sure how exactly he would explain it this time, sniffing slightly. ''"Don't worry kid, I'll be back before you know it. Who knows? Be good for ma and I might just bring you something really nice along with me. Maybe a car." This made Grigori laugh in response. "Love you daddy." he said before handing the phone back to Brina. Brina took it back gently, putting it back to her ear and turning herself away from her son. When she spoke again, the mirth in her voice had dampened considerably and replaced itself with a soft longing. "He is right, you know." She whispered, taking the first steps in walking away from the child. "We really do miss you... even if you might find it a bit hard to believe in the case of me." "Brina, honestly, I'm not in the sort of shape to talk about that." ''Rushifa responded, somewhat bluntly. ''"And I know it'll seem dickish of me to ask at this point... but I need you to come meet me in the Human world as soon as you can. It's important." His rather forward and rude tone didn't suit well with her. Her placating expression flared with indignation, and she pulled the phone away from her ear for a moment just to glare at it. "You always aren't in the sort of shape to talk about it. You're never in the shape to talk about it!" She thought scathingly. "And you've got the audacity to say that you need me for something? What a load of--" She clenched her teeth and shook her head, taking in a breath to calm herself. If there was one thing she couldn't allow herself to do, it was lose it right in front of her son. She was sure that he was sick of their fighting just as much as she was. Still, it didn't keep her from voicing out her feelings on the matter. "Really?" She questioned rhetorically, with a biting tone of her own. "Just what exactly could be more important than the two of us sitting down and talking for once? Because it seems like you gained a habit of avoiding me all of a sudden." "It's kinda hard for me to just "sit down and talk" to someone who's now employed by the people hunting me down." ''He snapped back, his voice rising slightly. ''"Hell it's not like you and I spent years running away from them after all the messed up shit they did to the two of us. But because your old teach-." ''He stopped himself from going any further, exhaling. ''"Look, this isn't the time to talk about this. Just track this call and meet me here, alright?" Brina let out a harsh breath, but decided not to challenge him. "Fine." She grumbled. "I'll have Mom come over as soon as she can. Out." She didn't consider hearing what he had to say after that, hanging up immediately afterwards. She slipped the phone back into the pockets of her pants and let out another suffering sigh, placing her palms on her hands. Following that, she dropped her arms down and hung her head. "Well, Grigori," She muttered, not bothering to look at the child. "If you ever get with someone when you're older, I hope this tells you what you're going to have to deal with." Although tired, she did manage to conjure up a bit of humor within her tone just for her son's amusement. The boy, however, did not take the comment in a humorous light. His lips quivered slightly and his eyes started to water just a little bit as he looked up at his mother, hugging her leg as he did so. "M-Mama, why are you and daddy... fighting all the time?" he started, sniffing slightly.as he continued, burying his face into her thigh as he was seemingly fighting the urge to cry. His parents had been on rather bad terms for a while, and while he didn't express it, he knew that was part of the reason why his father stayed away from home a good majority of the time. "I really want you two to stop..." It was enough to tug at Brina's heartstrings. She looked down at Grigori with a slightly pained expression, and she rested her hand on his head. "I know, sweetie..." She said softly. "We're just going through a rough time right now. But," She moved herself, bending down to his level and placing her hands on his shoulders. "Listen to me. I'm going to have to go away for a while to see Daddy. But when we get back, we're gonna put an end to the fighting. Until then, I'm gonna need you to stay strong. Can you do that for me?" She followed this up with an encouraging smile, trying as best as she could to lift the child's spirits. He sniffed once more and nodded his head, his eyes glancing down to her side as he was still upset over the situation. "Okay... is grandma coming over?" he asked with another sniff. Brina gave a nod, her smile widening. "Mhm! I know how much you like her. She'll be along here shortly, and then you can have all sorts of fun!" Giving Grigori a few pats on the shoulders, she allowed herself to stand up and walk away. "I'll lock the door behind me. Open it only if you're sure it's Grandma that's coming and not someone else."